Fear and Flesh
by Xedrin
Summary: Approximately 200 years before the Bleach main storyline, Urahara Kisuke gives the Zanpakuto of a fallen ally to another shinigami resulting in a dual Zanpakutowielding shinigami. What effects does this have on him?
1. Chapter 1: The Transfer

Urahara Kisuke took another flash step towards the outer rim of Soul Society. Kisuke was a man of average height and shaggy blond hair, which at that moment was being blown back from his current speed of movement. He wore standard shinigami black gi and the twelfth division white captain's jacket. Just beyond the southern eightieth district was a forest. Captain Urahara had been sent for to meet captain Unohana Retsu of the fourth division in a small plain just before that forest minutes before.

_What do you think she wants with you?_

"Who knows? But meeting a beautiful captain in a romantic setting like that can only mean one thing. A picnic!" Kisuke sang as he spoke the last two words.

_Stop fooling around Kisuke._

"Trouble, probably. Most likely involving something of interest to me."

_Way to state the obvious._

Kisuke passed over the seventy-ninth district as the plain came into view. It was about two hundred meters from the district to the woods. The grass was a light, brown-green color, almost a perfect transition between the brown shacks of mud and wood of the eightieth district and the lush, green forest ahead. Not much else was visible, and he could sense only two sources of spiritual pressure. Kisuke landed his final flash step in front of a third source of spiritual pressure which he hadn't felt a moment before. It was the dead body of an almost unrecognizable shinigami. Claw marks scarred much of the body and most of his uniform was destroyed exposing ripped flesh and a few bite marks.

"That was a rather strong Hollow to go undetected, don't you think?" Kisuke said over his shoulder to a wounded shinigami standing a few meters behind him. "How are you feeling, Yanagi Getsuri?"

Yanagi Getsuri was a tall, slim boy, looking the age of about eighteen in human terms (when in fact he was closer to two hundred eighteen than eighteen years of age). His red hair was short and very messy, perhaps from the battle, and his left arm was wrapped in bandages, red with blood. Getsuri was the fifth ranked seat in the twelfth division.

"I feel fine, Captain Urahara," Getsuri replied as he dropped his head, "But, Miko… Miko is dead."

"I know, Yanagi, tell me what happened?"

"Miko, from the tenth division, has been a good friend of mine and a training partner for several years. We were to meet here, our usual training spot, about an hour ago. As I arrived I saw a Hollow ripping Miko apart!" Getsuri paused as his voice trembled at the last sentence… "I couldn't feel its spirit force either captain! And I was right there! Please, Miko… can't we do something? Anything?"

"Did you defeat the Hollow?"

"No, sir…" Getsuri again looked to the ground, "I wasn't even able to avenge my friend's death; it ran after a short fight. I called for Captain Unohana, but Miko…"

Captain Unohana, who had been off a distance during the conversation, returned to the body without looking at Kisuke. Unohana Retsu wore clothing matching Kisuke's almost perfectly only with the symbol of four on the back of her jacket as opposed to Kisuke's twelve. Her clothes were also a bit more lose on her to hide her womanly features. Her hair was jet black and long, pulled around to the front on either side and braided down to her waist.

"This is Muryoku Miko, seventh seat of the tenth division," Unohana spoke, still watching the body, "under Captain Kurosaki Isshin. I am going to take the body and report to Captain Kurosaki."

Kisuke replied to Retsu, also without moving his eyes from the body. "Why have you called me, Unohana?"

"Look." Retsu produced a Zanpakuto and handed it to Kisuke. "Why does the Zanpakuto still exist?"

"Oh? We don't have much time. Yanagi, come here." Getsuri obeyed. "Take this, it is now your Zanpakuto."

Getsuri took hold of the Zanpakuto in its sheath and then grabbed his own Zanpakuto sheath in his other hand.

"But how, captain, I already have my Zanpakuto, Meimeiun. How can I have another Zanpakuto?"

"It doesn't matter, Yanagi, it **must** be you that takes it."

"How come it still exists? Shouldn't it have disappeared?"

"Ah! That is correct, however…" Kisuke's voice lightened considerably and he stuck up one finger into the air, "When a Shinigami is first admitted into the Gotei 13, his is given a nameless Zanpakuto; basically a sword made of spirit particles capable of cutting Hollows. However, when the shinigami reaches the point where their own Zanpakuto is created, one matching their soul, they give up their nameless Zanpakuto for their own named Zanpakuto. This you should already know. Now, what we have seen in very few, rare cases, is that when a shinigami is killed; a named, soul-bound Zanpakuto may be passed on to someone who has some emotional attachment to the passed shinigami, perhaps even shares a soul similar to theirs. Therefore, most likely by will of the shinigami's soul, they pass on their Zanpakuto rather than have it reborn at a later time with them. The only recorded event of this happening is when Tousen Kaname received Chini Kawane's Suzumushi. But at that time Tousen had no Zanpakuto of his own. So the effects of giving you Muryoku's Zanpakuto is yet unknown. I am very interested in seeing how this effects you."

_You need to stop playing with people's souls like they are test subjects._

Because the new Zanpakuto was too large to fit where one would normally place a wakizashi(small katana, often used in pair with a regular katana, as an off hand weapon, sheath is placed behind katana sheath, like Kyoraku Shunsui's unreleased Zanpakuto), Getsuri slung the Zanpakuto over his back so that it could be drawn with his left hand. He then drew both swords, and looked at them in his hands. Then, slowly he put them back into their respective sheaths, looking very pleased. His face grew sad again as he looked at his friends body for the last time as Unohana picked it up and carried it off towards Seireitei (Court of Pure Souls).

There was an awkward silence that followed between Urahara Kisuke and his subordinate, Yanagi Getsuri. Kisuke never turned after the body had been removed from his sight. Instead he starred at the forest ahead which was preparing for winter. The leaves were all starting to turn and beginning to fall.

It was Kisuke who finally spoke, "Please inform my lieutenant of what has happened here. I'm calling it a day." With that, Kisuke disappeared with a flash step.


	2. Chapter 2: Observations

Steam produced from spirit power rose from a diced Hollow. Standing next to the dematerializing mass of darkness was Getsuri, dual-wielding his Zanpakuto. A few hundred meters behind Getsuri was a man with medium length, blue hair and a few hairs on his chin. His eyes shown yellow and his facial expression was unchangingly grim. Wearing a shinigami gi and white adjutant insignia of the twelfth division on his left arm, he watched Yanagi Getsuri with extreme intensity. This whole scene took place inside a walled in space hundreds of meters wide, a semi artificial space created by Urahara Kisuke as a means of training and testing. The Hollow had been called by technology also created by the twelfth division captain.

"I can't believe this power I feel," said Getsuri to himself, "years of training as a shinigami and I barely scratched the surface of this potential!"

A short while later, after Getsuri had been sent home to rest, the man studying Yanagi stepped into the twelfth division headquarters and into Captain Urahara's office. The Captains office was very out-of-order for the work place of a division head. Papers and plans all over the desk in the middle of the wall across from the doorway. A few study tables with unlabeled test tubes were to the right of the doorway, and on the left a computer, which had been left on, was sitting waiting for input from one of its many keyboards suspended in front of the monitor.

"And how is our subject, Kurotsuchi?" Kisuke asked, smiling as always.

Kurotsuchi Mayuri's face didn't change expression as he replied, "Exceptionally well, combat-wise, Captain. His spirit force is increasing exponentially even though he is yet to release his new Zanpakuto. His behavior, however, is rather peculiar. He often stops all activity and stands blankly looking nowhere for several hours at a time; and when he sleeps, he may spend the whole night screaming incoherencies. Socially, he has become more solitary; and when others are around he has become more upfront with them than previously, even going so far as to challenge fellow shinigami to duels that upset him."

"You watch him while he sleeps? Kurotsuchi, have **you** slept this past week you have been observing him?"

"Of course not, Captain…" the Lieutenant replied as though his superior had asked his gender, "I have been ridding myself of the need for sleep with modified neural enhancers. Why would I sleep while studying a subject? That would produce an incomplete analysis."

"Take a break, Vice-Captain Kurotsuchi. Direct orders. I will take up studying Yanagi's progress for a day or two."

"Yes, Captain, contact me if you have any need for me, I will be working on our modified soul program." With that, Mayuri reluctantly left Kisuke's office.

"That boy works himself too hard. Oh, well, less work for me to do, eh?" Kisuke leaned back in his chair and closed his eyes.

_Aren't you going to check on Getsuri? ... Kisuke?_

Several hours later, Kisuke awoke when he heard a shrill scream coming from the residence area for his division.

"It seems Yanagi is having another one of his dreams?"

Kisuke opened the door to his office to step out. The cool, night air blew onto his face then fell to the floor, beginning to flood his office. Kisuke thought this a very pleasing change in atmosphere as he had been in his hot, dry office all day. Laboratories were never designed with comfort in mind.

Kisuke walked into the residence quarters area. Short white buildings lined both sides of the stone path, most of the quarters were only one room big. Captain Urahara walked passed the heads of most of his division which were sticking out of their quarters, some complaining, "Why doesn't somebody shut him up?" and "I haven't gotten any sleep this whole week!" While passing the residence of Mayuri, Kisuke noticed Kurotsuchi paying no attention whatsoever to the screams, instead he had a utensil in his hand and seemed to be adjusting something small and difficult to handle.

Finally approaching Getsuri's residence, Kisuke slid open the door and walked in. The walls were bare white and look like they had been cut many times with a sword. There was no furniture in the room except for the sleeping mat where fifth seat Yanagi was flailing around grasping about the floor as if looking for something in the dark.

As Getsuri continued to scream, Kisuke picked out a few phrases: "STOP IT! PLEASE! … TAMATIO! NO! … WON'T … AGAIN! … IT'S ME! … MIKO!"

"Tamatio?" Kisuke said to himself, "what is that?" After thinking for another moment, he put a smile on and said very politely, "Hey! Yanagi, wake up!"

Yanagi did. With almost the speed of a flash step Getsuri had pulled out one of his two Zanpakuto, it was too dark to see which, and swung it stopping just before cutting Kisuke's neck. Urahara stood unflinching, continuing to smile then spoke.

"Hey! Too close, too close. It seems you were having a nightmare, Yanagi. Please go to Captain Unohana and she will give you something to help you sleep better."

Getsuri's eyes were still tense, but they slowly softened and he dropped his Zanpakuto from his captain's neck. Without saying a word he picked up his other Zanpakuto and walked out of his room, headed for the fourth division's residence area to seek out Unohana.

"Perhaps its time for me to visit Captain Kurosaki."

_Something isn't right._

"Oh? You think so?"

_I was just saying. You haven't been talking to me much recently anyway._

Kisuke arrived at the residence of tenth division captain, Kurosaki Isshin. The captain's residence was much nicer than the regular officers' quarters, complete with three rooms, including an office. Kisuke opened the door to Isshin's residence to be greeted by a flying kick in the head by a man wearing white pajamas with yellow smiley faces and red hearts. His short black hair and beard failed to cover the bizarre, unserious appearance of his face. The foot that struck Kisuke in the face had obviously not been cleaned in several days. Falling over, the twelfth division captain huddled up and grabbed his face; voice high pitch as he whined. Isshin stood behind Kisuke with his fists on his waist and began to lecture.

"Master of local defense, Captain Kurosaki Isshin, ultimate technique, **Flying red monkey kick!** You never stood a chance at infiltrating my…" Isshin paused as he looked down, "Oh! Ahoy, Urahara Kisuke! Welcome to my home!"

"That hurt! Did you have to go and do that?" Kisuke said has he stood back up and faced Isshin. "I have come to ask you some questions about Muryoku Miko."

"Come in, come in! Let us talk!"

_Moron._

Urahara explained the situation in great detail to Kurosaki, including the words Getsuri had been screaming in his sleep.

"That name, Tamatio, is one that I know. It is a figure from Muryoku's past. Where he grew up in the western sixty-first district, There was a man named Tamatio who controlled the locals there with fear. Muryoku was an orphan who worked directly for Tamatio, doing his bidding and collecting his 'taxes' from the people of the district. To make a long story short, Muryoku was almost killed by this man after an incident where Miko had seen and spoken to a shinigami, and Tamatio thought he was trying to have him killed by the shinigami. Muryoku barely escaped with his life and stumbled upon that same shinigami who then took him in and brought him into the academy."

"Interesting," Kisuke commented as he sat scratching his head. "However, Yanagi grew up inside the Seireitei and thus should have no contact with people in the districts."

"Could he be having nightmares from stories he heard about Miko's history?"

"Unlikely, they seem to be much too intense to obtain from a story. It is most probable that he is actually experiencing the memories of Muryoku. The transfer of Zanpakuto must be causing it."

"If that is the case, then I must volunteer another bit of information to you. This evening, Yanagi Getsuri appeared for my officers' super secret meeting! One only my direct subordinates should have even known about."

"You hold super secret meetings? Why not just use the regular meeting facility at regular meeting times?"

"Ah, but that would be too easy for our enemies to sneak into! Master of defense, Captain Kurosaki Isshin, could never allow that!"

"What enemies…" Kisuke said with a sigh and decided not to pursue the matter further. "Either way, it seems that Yanagi is beginning to think he is Muryoku and the personality clash could become dangerous."

The two captains talked for hours, and night became day before Kisuke finally left. Only seconds after leaving the tenth division residence hall, Shihouin Yoruichi appeared before Kisuke. Yoruichi was a dark skinned, very shapely woman with long, purple hair. She had a stern look about her beautiful face. Yoruichi wore a sleeveless shinigami gi with no back, as was fitting for the head of the special ops commander. Over her back she wore her second division captain's jacket.

Yoruichi spoke, "Yanagi Getsuri has challenged Dendou Hitamuki for the ninth division captaincy."


	3. Chapter 3: Afraid

A large crowd of shinigami surrounded a large area just outside the shinigami academy. An open stone courtyard was to be the setting for a challenge for captaincy between Yanagi Getsuri and Dendou Hitamuki. The flat grey stones were all that could be seen in the courtyard as everything else was encompassed or overtaken by the shifting black cloak of over a thousand shinigami.

Kisuke and Yoruichi appeared in the front of the lines, standing before Hitamuki. The captain of the ninth division stood taller than his opponent by several centimeters, and was much more built in the body. His gi and captain's jacket fit him well, but his face showed a little less perfection. He showed signs of many dangerous battles, cuts and nicks in various places around his face. Some showed distinctly of hollow battles, while others were probably from shaving. Most of his skin would not produce facial hair but his split chin managed out a few hairs. His black hair raised slightly and fell outwards, and he had a bald line on his head crossing from front left to the middle of the back of his head where he had obviously suffered some near death wound.

"Ah, Captain Dendou! How are you today?" were Kisuke's first words, much to Hitamuki's surprise, "A fine day for walking, wouldn't you say? Shall we go for a walk together?"

Beyond the first few words, Hitamuki's face changed from that of confusion to that of annoyance. His reply came sharply, "Don't try to dissuade me, Urahara. I won't kill the boy."

"It's not the boy I'm worried about, Captain Dendou."

Again the expression of Hitamuki changed, this time to disgust. "I understand what has been going on recently. I am no fool, Urahara. However this experiment of yours has caused too much trouble. The boy needs to be reminded that justice prevails over power. Yanagi is in dire need of justice, I suppose his captain is to blame for this."

"Ahh, have a good fight then, Dendou, perhaps we walk afterwards!"

_Kisuke!_

Yoruichi interrupted the stare down between the captains by placing herself between the two while making her remark, "Just be careful, Hitamuki, there is no need for anyone to be slain here today. You just keep yourself alive."

Hitamuki's only response was to push passed the captains before him. The ninth division captain placed his hand on the hilt of his Zanpakuto as he was joined by the company of a few of the officers under his command, among whom was his vice-captain, Tousen Kaname.

Across the open space where the fight was to occur stood Getsuri with a much smaller cheering section: one young man. He was another from the twelfth division, an unranked officer. He did not speak, but he took the effort to stand closer to Getsuri than anyone else dared. Yanagi had grown dark circles around his eyes from a lack of sleep and his skin had grown pale. Despite the ill appearance of his physique, a smirk was on his face. He stood already having both Zanpakuto drawn. The boy, however, looked much more pleasant than his apparent idol. He seemed to be standard in every way, from his short black hair, to his unwrinkled gi; everything about him screamed average. The only thing that set him apart from the rest of the shinigami present was his ability to face Getsuri unafraid. His name was Torano Okunote

The two combatants removed themselves from the crowd and moved towards the center of the courtyard. No words were spoken as to rules, and nobody was there to give them a starting word, they simply walked to the center and began.

The first clash was a basic swing on both parts, both faces showing neither disgust nor excitement, just a meeting of two Zanpakuto to say, "hello." Getsuri then brought his left Zanpakuto into the mix and both men jumped back, beginning to stare at each other. Much of the audience became off balance and some even fell to their knees.

"They are sizing each other up," Kisuke stated to Yoruichi knowing she already understood the situation, "First a quick read of each others basic movement, now for the rise in spirit pressure; acting like two alpha males in a pack of wild animals bellowing loud to show their prowess. It appears Captain Dendou has a slight advantage and Yanagi is quite irregular in his output. This may be a shorter battle than I initially thought."

Although Yanagi didn't yet seem ready to continue, he made the first move. Dashing directly toward his opponent, he lunged with his right Zanpakuto and waited for the parry by Hitamuki which duly came, deflecting the lunge to the right of Getsuri's target, leaving him wide open. Hitamuki responded with a slash to Yanagi's chest which was deflected by the challengers left Zanpakuto, which was now being held blade down, pushing both men now back to back. Getsuri completed the spin while the captain's back was still to him and again attacked with a straight thrust, having switched his left Zanpakuto back to blade up and pulling his right Zanpakuto perpendicular to his attacking sword as a defensive precaution. Before the hit landed, the body of Hitamuki disappeared and a flash of light was the only thing Yanagi could see of the ninth division captain's sword before blood was spilled.

Having managed to rush left before the attack, Getsuri managed to have only been cut on his right arm. Turning left and swinging with the corresponding Zanpakuto, Getsuri again missed the disappearing captain. He managed to duck and roll under the following attack and began a flash step of his own. Placing himself behind the captain, he brought both of his Zanpakuto attacking simultaneously from the right. Hitamuki already had his sword in the proper position to block and easily pushed both blades to the side.

The fight continued thus for a few moments, the defending captain proving his experience and superiority of skill, even while being inferiorly equipped; while the challenging shinigami paid no response to any of the minor cuts he received, and his smirk never dropped for an instant.

Another stand off developed after only a minute of fighting, both men smiling.

"You're power is still too weak to be fighting me, boy," Hitamuki started, "and you are still unable to fight with two Zanpakuto effectively. As I suspected, as long as I keep you fighting on your left side, I hold a very large advantage."

"Perhaps I'm fighting with my left side for practice because it would be too easy to face you with my right hand Zanpakuto," Yanagi replied coldly.

"Unlikely, little Yanagi… come, let me give you a sense of justice you won't be forgetting anytime soon. At least release your Zanpakuto before the fight is over."

"Very well," Getsuri replied as his face remained unchanged from the taunting he had been receiving… Getsuri then stuck his left hand Zanpakuto into the ground and proceeded to use the newly freed hand to place flat in front of the tip of his right Zanpakuto's blade, which was now being held completely vertical in front of his center.

"Be swift, Meimeiun." Yanagi's hand slid down the blade and only slightly distorted air remained behind, or so it appeared. (_Meimeiun – lit. "Invisible Doom"_)

"Hmm," grunted Hitamuki, unimpressed, "An invisible sword is of little concern as I remember well the appearance and length of your Zanpakuto. Don't expect to… Argh!" The captain cringed as he dropped to one knee after being victim to a strike from seemingly nowhere to his left ribs.

"Y… You!" the kneeling captain said, barely audible to his audience as he was a several meters away, "I felt your spirit power moving but neglected to realize your sword was changing length, you will not catch me off guard again."

Dendou, without visibly standing, began to flash step all over the place, sometimes appearing on the right, sometimes appearing on the left, but always moving closer to his opponent. Getsuri remained unmoving as he watched the captain scurry about in flash steps; waiting. The final flash placed the captain behind his challenger in full swing coming down the left side. The sword was stopped in midair even though Getsuri was yet to move since the attack began. Hitamuki was barely able to flash out of the way before another invisible strike met him.

"Meimeiun does not only change length, little Dendou," Getsuri said mockingly to the captain, "I cant alter its shape and mass entirely with my spirit power."

"Bastard, I under estimated you. But it ends now." Dendou Hitamuki held his Zanpakuto directly into the air. "Strike with justice, Kandenouja!" The sky became instantly black and a large bolt of lightning came from the heavens and blasted the captain's sword. When the smoke cleared, What was left in hand of the caller was a sword hilt and three large black spheres, connected one to the other in a strait line where the blade had been. Each ball sent constant electricity to the others and they seemed to hang together off balance and always rocking as Hitamuki moved about. (_Kandenouja – lit. Shock King_)

Without so much as a word, the ninth division captain attacked, swinging his Zanpakuto like one would a whip, the three spheres separated, still held together be electricity, and moved at a very high speed toward the target. Meimeiun blocked the blow from the right but the force blew Getsuri to the left, leaving skid marks where his feet slid across the ground. Another attack commenced without any break in between which came from the top which instead of blocking, Getsuri dodged. The resulting devastation to the ground where Yanagi had been was immense.

At this point the crowd of shinigami's took several steps back and no body wanted to be in the front row any longer. The result was a much bigger fighting ground for the combatants. This movement separated Kisuke and Yoruichi, who had not moved when everyone else did, from the crowd. Kisuke's eyes looked as they always did, but Yoruichi could feel the excitement in his aura.

"Kisuke, I must go," Yoruichi spoke from behind Urahara. "This fight is not mine and I have matters to attend to."

Kisuke turned with his signature smile to reply only to find Yoruichi already missing. His face dropped its jovial look to one of seriousness as he turned back around to face the battle once again. Getsuri had just blocked the farthest sphere from the hilt with his left Zanpakuto as he made an attack with Meimeiun which was consequently stopped by the middle sphere which had moved out of sequence with the other two. The captain was beginning to tell, more or less, exactly where and how Meimeiun was moving. From Kisuke's field of vision, Dendou leapt to the left from the attack while Yanagi dashed to the right revealing another shinigami who had not backed off with the crowd. It was Getsuri's "friend." Kisuke walked in between the fight amongst the attacks to the shinigami. Neither Getsuri nor Hitamuki paid any attention as Urahara walked through their conflict to the other side.

"C… Captain Urahara," the shinigami said having only noticed Kisuke approaching after he was within a few meters of him, "Um… Sir, I would like a request to transfer to the ninth division."

"Hello, Torano," Kisuke began without heeding his subordinates question, "you have been spending much time with Yanagi recently."

"Yes, Captain. We didn't used to spend time together, but last week he found me and told me that we needed to talk. Then Miko showed up and they left for their training. That was the day he died. Poor Getsuri, he was so upset."

"And did he come back to talk to you?"

"Yes, Sir… Captain Yanagi told me that he had been watching me and that he saw I have much talent and that my Zanpakuto will be strong." Okunote developed very proud eyes as he said this.

"Ah… and have you managed to communicate with your Zanpakuto yet, Torano?"

The unseated officer's eyes dropped to the floor as he answered a sulking, "No, sir."

"One more thing, Torano. Has Yanagi mentioned why he chose to challenge Captain Dendou as opposed to the others of the Gotei Thirteen?"

"He only told me that Captain Dendou was more afraid that the other captains."

There was a pause between Kisuke and Okunote. A shout came from the audience as a blow from Hitamuki landed on Getsuri, yet Okunote could not remove his eyes from his captain's which lay fixed on his in return.

"Request for transfer denied." Kisuke said at last and began his walk away from the fight.

Okunote searched for something to say, anything to make his Captain stop and listen… he finally managed out, "Aren't you going to stay for the rest of the match, Captain Urahara?"

"No, Torano, I have other matters to attend to. In addition I already know the outcome of this battle, so why wait up for someone to walk with?" With that, the twelfth division captain disappeared into the crowd of shinigami.


End file.
